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Quality has always been of the utmost importance to Hansgrohe AG of Schiltach in Germany's Black Forest. The fittings and shower specialist has now had this confirmed for its environmental and occupational safety activities by Germany's independent Association for the Certification of Management Systems (DQS). After extensive tests in January and April 2009 at Hansgrohe's five facilities in Schiltach and Offenburg, DQS has certified the company in accordance with the international environment standard ISO 14001 and the standard for health & occupational safety, OHSAS 18001.
"These three certificates are internationally recognised quality seals that tell our customers all around the world that our company and its products meet all their requirements for quality, environmental care and occupational safety, completely and in full," explains Karl-Heinz Hammann, Hansgrohe board member with the responsibility for international production. "This in turn is something that our customers are able to advertise and use in their sales negotiations with their clients."
"Confirmation of systematic, environmentally-appropriate production is becoming increasingly important, both at home and abroad, for instance when allocating public construction orders. These certificates enable major customers and clients in the project industry to confirm, quickly and without complication, that their supplier Hansgrohe meets all environmental standards, and that gives them the lead over the competition.
"In that respect, these three certificates are an unbeatable sales argument – and that's something that not every company can match. This even more so as we are one of the first companies in the international sanitary industry to develop the fundamental elements of the three international standards in a single comprehensive, integrated management system."
This will undoubtedly help the company to meet customers' very high expectations in the production of fittings and showers, which is in the region of several million items a year. "The integrated management system will help us to plan every single step in development and production with absolute precision; to identify potential risks, and then finally to guarantee the required excellent quality in every area and issue," adds Karl-Heinz Hammann. "So a high level of process quality is always to the customer's benefit."
With the Hansgrohe facility in Atlanta/USA, which has also already received certification, this means that the Schiltach-based company's six major facilities operate to international standards for quality, the environment and occupational health. The smaller Hansgrohe facilities are also to undergo the same certification process by the year 2011.
On presentation of the certificates in Schiltach, Rolf Deiter, deputy manager of the DQS customer service centre, emphasised that Hansgrohe AG fulfilled: "all the requirements for the full and unlimited functioning of its quality management system with regard to the environment and occupational health". He was particularly impressed by the "high level of commitment shown by all involved" at Hansgrohe.
Standard ISO 14001 was first published in 1996, then revised in 2004, and contains the standards for environmental management systems with the aim of promoting and supporting care for the environment and consistently improving companies' environmental performance. Similarly, OHSAS 18001 has the aim of applying standardised criteria for an occupational safety management system that encourages employers to ensure that companies systemise and consistently optimise their activities to support the health and protection of their employees whilst at work.
Picture shows: (from left) Marc Griggel (Manager Corporate Function Manufacturing Hansgrohe AG), Karl-Heinz Hammann, Rolf Deiter (deputy manager of the DQS customer service centre), Andrzej Tysiac (Director of Quality Hansgrohe AG), and Josef Rumahi (Hansgrohe Environmental Health & Safety Manager).
T: +49/ (0)7836/ 51-0
F: +49/ (0)7836/ 51-1175
E: info@hansgrohe.de
W: www.hansgrohe.com